By Sarah NEGEDU
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is advocating for stiffer penalties against vandals, insisting that the existing laws was not punitive enough to deter vandals from the act.
Wike, lamented that the current law against vandalism in the FCT, which prescribed N10, 000 as fine on conviction, was only a slap on the wrist, when compared to the havoc vandals wreck on the economy.
The minister who made the call while featuring at the ongoing Ministerial Sectoral Update, to mark President Tinubu’s one year in office, urged the National Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, review the law against vandalism in the nation’s capital.
In his words, “Take for example, the issue of streetlights on Abuja streets. Today you put streetlights, tomorrow night, it is no longer there. What happened? They have vandalised them. They cut off the cables.
“You arrest them for prosecution, and what does the law say on conviction, N10,000. So, they continue with the act.
“We have told the National Assembly that they must come to our aide by amending and reviewing the law to make it very tough as to discourage vandals from vandalizing our infrastructures.”
On security, the minister said his administration has significantly tackled the issue of insecurity, especially menace of banditry and one chance in the territory.
According to him, the FCT Administration got the support of the people, who he said are critical for intelligence gathering.
“The people agreed with us but they said we have peculiar problems, the bandit attacks we have been facing is caused by lack of roads. When they attack, security agencies have no access. They identified the roads in which they felt was necessary and as I said since this is what you feel you need, go home and sleep, it will be done. As I speak to you now, all the Area councils can attest the fact that before the December this year, we are going to commission not less than 120Km of roads in these six area councils.
“We have been able to provide security agencies with all required logistics. This is my first time knowing that they are specialized bikes needed, and this government was able to provide allo those specialized bikes. We have provided all that they need and you can now sleep with your two eyes closed.”
He added that the FCTA has also taken steps to curb the menance of one-chance robbery through its proposed plan to build three bus terminals for FCT.
“So that one can enter identified cars and buses. We know that certainly building these terminals will reduce the level of kidnapping and and one chance or as the case may be. By the grace of God in the next 8 months this city will 3 bus and taxi terminals and must operate from those terminals.”
Wike also gave some clarity on the planned commissioning of the Abuja Light Rail, saying what the Tinubu government will be commissioning is the commercial operation of the project and not the structure itself, which had been commissioned by past government.
“We are talking about commissioning the commercial operations. Before now, there was no access roads to all the stations, so how do you use them?
“Remember in September last year, the President said he wants to ride on the metro line and to the Glory of God, on Monday 27th of this month, Mr. President will ride on that metro line. Now, all the access roads have been done with their car parks.
“The last administration awarded $128 million for 29months for the CCECC to train our people for the operations of that metro line. When I came on board I said we cannot do that and as I speak to you, we have reduced that to $75million, saving the government $53 million.
“So those of you saying that it was commissioned before, make no mistake what was commissioned was the building and we are not commissioning building. We are commissioning commercial operations.”